You Don't Choose Your Family
by fearlessgoddess2
Summary: Sam and Dean get a call from Bobby that he needs a favor: watch out for two young girls while he goes on a hunt.
1. Chapter 1

You Don't Choose Your Family

Chapter 1:

"What do you have?" Dean asked as he rolled out of bed, ruffling his hair slightly before he made for the bathroom.

Sam glanced to him before sighing, switching through the different windows on his laptop. "Ah…there's this motel in Portland, Oregon. A woman was murdered. She was in her room, all the windows were locked, chain was on the door and nobody heard anything…. Bethlehem, Nevada, a man hit something with his car. When he got out to look, there was blood everywhere, but nothing to be found. He was driving in broad daylight and said he didn't see a thing."

"Huh," Dean muttered, walking back into the room to get some clothes.

"In Hartford City, Iowa, I found some patterns indicating—."

Sam was cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. He went through his jacket, which was hanging on the back of his chair, until he dug it out. "Hello?" he answered.

"_Sam, it's Bobby. You boys working a job right now?_"

"Ah, no, we're actually between jobs. Something wrong?"

"_Where are you at?_"

"Southern Minnesota. Why?"

"_That's good, you're close. I need your help with something. How soon can you leave?_"

"We could leave right now, I think," Sam replied, glancing to Dean for approval, who nodded. "What're we walking into?"

"_Nothing you need to be prepared for. Just need your help with something._"

"Alright. We're on our way."

"_Thanks, Sam,_" Bobby replied.

"No problem." Sam hung up the phone.

"What's the deal?" Dean asked as he started gathering his things.

"Bobby needs help with something."

"What kind of something?"

Sam shrugged. "Wasn't specific. Said it's nothing we need to be prepared for, so I doubt the junkyard's crawling with demons or something."

"Whatever. Let's head out," Dean replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Sam and Dean pulled into Bobby's driveway eight hours later and Dean put the car in park, getting out. The two went up to the door, Sam knocking a few times. A few seconds later, Bobby opened the door.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam said with a smile. "What's going on?"

"Thanks for getting here so fast," Bobby replied, moving aside so the boys could walk in. He closed and locked the door and walked them into the living room.

Sam's eyes widened at the sight of two young girls sitting on the couch. The two looked like sisters, from their identical blonde hair and the shapes of their face. Also from the fact that the younger was sitting almost on top of the older, clutching her hand. The younger one stared at them with wide eyes, but the older one stared with more curiosity and a hint of suspicion.

"Bobby, ah…something we should know?" Dean asked, glancing to him.

"This is Kira and Brianna," Bobby said. "Kira's eleven and Brianna's seven."

"And a half," Brianna added quietly.

Bobby smiled slightly. "Girls, this is Sam and Dean," he said, motioning to each.

"Hey," Sam said, smiling gently. The looks on both girls' faces stayed put. Sam looked to Bobby. "I'm…still confused."

Bobby looked to the girls. "I'm gonna talk to Sam and Dean in the kitchen, okay?" he asked. "You two go upstairs and watch some TV."

"Okay, Bobby," Kira replied. She gave her sister's hand a gentle tug, pulling her down the hallway to the stairs.

"Bobby…they aren't _yours_ are they?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Bobby asked. His eyes widened. "Oh, hell no. They belong to a friend of mine, Warren. Come on."

The boys followed him into the kitchen and he grabbed each of them a beer, sitting down at the table.

"See, their dad is a hunter. Yesterday, I get a knock on my door. I open it up, and they're standing there. Warren had confirmed that I was going to be here for the next couple of weeks in case something happened on his hunt. He does this every time he goes. If he doesn't get back within a certain amount of time and he doesn't call and Kira can't reach him, Kira's supposed to take her and her sister to my place."

Dean nodded. "I got you so far. Dad used to do the same for us with you or Pastor Jim."

"Right. Now I know that Warren had been going after something in Houston. He told me a bit about it. He was meeting up with some other hunters he knows to go after what they'd discovered was a vampire nest. I can't get in touch with Warren or the other hunters, so something's gone bad. I've got a couple of friends of mine who're gonna go down there and see what's what. I need someone to stay here and watch the girls. Someone I can trust, who can handle things if something goes down." He paused.

Sam and Dean stared at him before they seemed to understand what he was saying at the same time. Dean choked on his beer.

"What?" Sam asked, wide-eyed.

Dean cleared his throat. "Bobby, they're kids. _Female_ kids. We're hunters, not…babysitters."

"I know, but like I said, I need someone I can trust. Besides, you can relate to these two. They were raised by a single dad who hunts. I won't be gone too long, a few days, a week at the most."

"Why can't we go to Houston and you stay here?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

Bobby sighed. "Because I'd rather have more backup here than with him. Warren told me this hunt might be ugly. I could tell he was worried about retribution from the nest. He's worried something will happen to the girls."

Dean ran a hand over his face, sighing.

"Alright," Sam agreed with a sigh.

"Whoa, now hang on," Dean objected. "I haven't agreed with this yet."

"Come on Dean, we've dealt with worse plenty of times," Sam told him. "They're kids. We can handle it."

"I don't think you remember what girls at their age can be like," Dean replied.

"They aren't regular girls," Bobby interrupted. "They're a hunter's kids. They know what's out there. Both of them do. Now I need you guys on this one. Are you in?"

Sam looked to Dean, who ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Alright, fine," Dean said finally. "I just…what are we supposed to do with them for a week?"

"They're pretty self-sufficient," Bobby replied. "But you're right, they'll probably get restless after a while. I've got a couple board games upstairs and they can watch TV, but if they get tired of that, you can…bring them to the playground or the library or something. Something normal."

"Are we getting paid by the hour or how does this work?" Dean asked, leaning back in his chair. Bobby stared at him. "Kidding! I'm kidding!" Dean told him. "Geez."

"I've got my cell if you need to call," Bobby said, taking his keys from his pocket as he stood. "I'm already packed, my stuff's in the car. I'm gonna tell the girls I'm heading off."

"Wait, you were going to leave whether we agreed or not?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you'd said no, I'da resorted to guilt," Bobby replied over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.

Dean sighed. "Well. This'll be fun."

Sam and Dean looked to each other before each taking a long drink of their beers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Sam tossed his empty beer bottle into the garbage before turning around, leaning back against the counter, listening to the sound of Bobby's car fade as it went down the driveway. Dean sat at the table, drumming his fingers for a few seconds, before checking his watch.

"It's about 6:30. Think the girls are hungry?" Dean asked.

"Maybe," Sam replied. His attention went to the doorway as he heard footsteps approaching. Kira appeared, walking into the kitchen, and went into the fridge, effectively ignoring the boys, as Brianna took a seat at the table, folding her hands and putting her chin down. "Hey. You hungry?" Sam asked, looking to each of the girls. "I can make some dinner."

Kira glanced to him, looked him up and down. "Actually I was looking for a beer," Kira replied. She looked back to the fridge, her eyes scanning it.

Sam blinked, standing up straighter. "Uh, I don't think Bobby—."

"Relax, Sasquatch, I was joking," Kira muttered. Dean snorted. Sam looked to Dean, raising an eyebrow. Dean gave him a grin and a shrug, as if to say, "_I like her so far._"

Kira found what she was looking for, two plastic containers, and took them out, closing the fridge door with her foot. She went over to the counter, putting them down, and took out a plastic serving spoon and two plates, filling each with some food.

Putting one of the plates in the microwave, she took out two cups and filled them with juice, putting them on the table, along with two spoons and two forks. Once both plates were warmed up, Kira brought them to the table, placing one in front of Brianna.

"Thanks," Brianna murmured, beginning to eat the macaroni and cheese.

"You're eating every one of those peas," Kira told her. She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before taking a drink of her juice, then taking another spoonful of macaroni.

"So…how long's your dad been a hunter?" Dean asked, leaning forward.

While Brianna didn't seem to recognize the question, Kira stopped in mid-chew, staring at Dean. Then she finished chewing and swallowed. "We don't discuss work at the table," she said, softly but firmly.

Dean blinked, leaned back. "Yes, Godfather," he quipped.

Kira rolled her eyes with a practiced grace and continued to eat.

"I'm, ah…I'm going to bring in our stuff. Dean, you want to help me?" Sam asked, giving him a tight smile as he left the room. Dean stood up, following him outside.

"You want to try not alienating them right off the bat?" Sam asked, opening the trunk to the Impala.

"What?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Alienating means—."

"I know what it means, Sam," Dean snapped. "I was just trying to make conversation. Excuse me for not knowing a single damn thing about these girls except for the fact that their dad's a hunter."

"Just because that's all you know about them, doesn't mean it's conversation material," Sam told him, pulling out his backpack and gym bag.

"Yea, I noticed."

"Look, we just got here. I think it'll take a few days for them to get comfortable around us. For now, just try to be supportive," Sam said.

"Supportive. Ya. Got it," Dean muttered as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulder.

Sam closed the trunk. "Hey, just try to remember what it was like being that age with a dad as a hunter, Dean."

Dean looked over to Sam, his eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"Sam, I can't seem to _forget_ what it was like at that age with a hunter for a dad," Dean growled. "You don't have to remind me to remember. I remember what it was like when dad didn't come home and we had to take two buses and a train to go to Pastor Jim's. I remember running out of money and having to steal from the convenience store down the street. I remember lying to teachers, to friends, to anyone that asked about what our dad did, why he didn't come home for days, sometimes weeks at a time. And I remember trying to let you stay a kid for as long as you could." Dean shook his head slowly. "Don't you lecture me about remembering."

At that, ignoring Sam's shocked face, Dean walked into the house, leaving Sam standing outside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reader who informed me that I'd mistakenly posted one story's chapter for another story! Whoops! Here's the real chapter!**

Chapter 4:

"Read it again," Brianna said through a yawn, blinking sleepily up at her older sister.

Kira glared at her as she closed the Disney book, putting it on the bedside table. "Bri, you can barely keep your eyes open. Besides, it's late." She stood up, pulling the covers up to her sister's chin. "I'm going to be downstairs. I need to talk to Sam and Dean for a few minutes. Then I'll come to bed and read for a while before I go to sleep."

Brianna nodded slowly, satisfied that her sister knew how to keep things running smoothly, and closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh of tiredness.

"Goodnight June bug," Kira murmured.

"G'nite firefly," Brianna whispered.

Kira turned off the lamp on Brianna's bedside table, leaving the one next to her bed on, and double checked that both windows were locked before going downstairs.

Sam and Dean were both in the living room, waiting on the couch, as she'd asked. She sat down across from them, settling in the loveseat. "So. Start talking," she said.

The brothers glanced to each other for a moment before looking back to her. "Start talking about what?" Dean asked.

"We're going to be living together for a while," Kira told him. "My sister and I are going to be asleep when you two are in the house with us. I want you to do your best to convince me…to trust you."

Kira stared at the two boys, examining their expressions for a reaction. Sam's was a bit of confusion, a bit of interest, and a bit taken aback. Dean's was easier to read, and Kira was surprised at what she saw. He seemed almost…proud of her? He actually seemed impressed. Bobby had said that Dean was protective of Sam. That he took the big brother role very seriously and he would understand where she was coming from.

"Well…Bobby trusts us," Sam said with a shrug. "And your dad trusts Bobby. Wouldn't that make us trustworthy?"

"No," Kira and Dean both said in unison. Kira looked to Dean, slightly surprised, as did Sam.

"No, it doesn't," Dean told him, glancing to him. He paused before he nodded slowly, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. "But then again, you don't expect us to get you to trust us. Because you can't possibly know you can trust us until you've spent time with us. You want to know if putting your trust in us would be a bad move because we're bad guys…or because we're just morons."

Kira leveled her gaze at him, then nodded once. "Go ahead," she said.

"My mom was killed when I was four by a demon," Dean stated, interlocking his fingers. "That's how we got roped into this world. I was four, Sam was six months old. I took care of Sam ever since. Still do." Kira kept her gaze drifting back and forth occasionally from Dean to Sam to gauge his brother's reaction. Sam definitely looked surprised that Dean was being so blunt.

"I learned about what's out there not long after. My dad would go off on hunts, so he'd leave me in charge. He and I tried to keep Sam clueless for as long as we could. Sam finally found out about what our dad did when he was nine. We hunted for quite a few years, going to school also. Sam left for college when he was eighteen. I stayed with my dad. A few years later, my dad went missing. I got Sam at college and we went looking for him. Turns out there was this whole evil plot going on with the demon that killed our mom. We finally killed it about a year ago. My dad didn't survive long enough to be around when we killed it."

"I'm not going to read you a shopping list of what we've killed. I'll leave it at the fact that we've killed a lot of evil sons of—." Dean stopped, looking down to his hands and smiling, before looking back to Kira. "A lot of evil things. We're not as smart as Bobby, but…not many people are. I'd say we come pretty close and we make a good team. We've got the experience in spades and the smarts in buckets, especially him when it comes to smarts," Dean said, nodding slightly toward Sam, who let out a shadow of a smile. "As brothers, we've spent a lot of time together, so we can have a whole conversation without saying a word. I'm sure you know what that's like."

Kira nodded.

"Having a younger sibling makes things simple," Dean said. "Cut and dry. Black and white. Nothing's more important than them," he said, motioning to Sam. "I get that. Sam does too. He's been around me his whole life. He knows how I think. And we both know that no matter how many different places you live or how many different schools you go to, how many different friends you have, no matter what changes, the one thing that is always there when you open your eyes in the morning is your sister. And she's got to have that to hold on to. To know that her sister is there to protect her and to be there for her. To watch her back. To know that there isn't anything that would keep you from her."

"As a hunter, if anything comes after you, I won't hesitate to throw myself in front of you to take whatever it is. Neither will Sam. But that doesn't matter to you as much as knowing that we'll do the same for your sister. Promises mean nothing until you're face to face with evil and you show your true self, but for the record, I do promise I'm going to do my damndest to keep you and your sister safe. When it comes to reciting an exorcism from memory, that's Sam's forte. But I do know the value of a solid line of salt and a speeding iron round. And I've taken out my fair share of evil."

Kira stared at him for a few moments, making sure he was finished, before she nodded. "Okay," she said softly. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She stood up, walking toward the door.

"Wait, what…. What about me?" Sam asked, looking back and forth between Kira and Dean. "I don't…get to give a big speech?"

Kira stopped. Blinked. "I got everything I need to know about you," she told him. "You were raised by him," she said, nodding toward Dean.

"And what about you?" Dean asked. "How do we know _we _can trust _you_?"

Kira smiled. "With all the experience you have, you don't think you can handle one simple eleven year old?" she asked him. At that, she walked down the hallway and up the stairs, closing the bedroom door.

Dean turned to Sam before sighing and shaking his head. "That's a loaded question," he muttered, walking off to the kitchen. Sam let out a half smile, leaning back on the couch, and picked up his book.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Kira sat on her bed, leafing through her book page by page. She looked up when Brianna walked in and took a seat by her side.

"Whatcha doin'?" Brianna asked.

"Just reading," Kira replied, looking back to her book.

Brianna paused. "Kira, I'm bored."

"Why don't you watch TV?" Kira asked.

"I did. Now I'm bored again."

Kira sighed, closing her book. "Alright. How about we see if Sam and Dean could take us to the playground?"

Brianna's face lit up. "Cool!"

Kira smiled slightly as she got up off the bed, walking down the hall and down the stairs, Brianna right on her heels. Sam was sitting in the living room, reading, and looked up as they entered. "Hey guys," he said with a smile. "What's up?"

"We were hoping we could go to the playground?" Kira asked.

Sam checked his watch. "Yea, sure. That sounds fine." He put down his book. "Let me go tell Dean."

Kira nodded and turned to Brianna. "Come on, let's go get our shoes."

"Can I bring Chocolate?"

"Sure."

Ten minutes later, Dean closed his door and turned around, glancing to the girls. "Seatbelts?" he asked.

Kira stared at him blankly. She and Brianna already had her seatbelts on.

"Alrighty then," Dean said with a sigh. He put the car in reverse and turned around in the driveway before driving down to the road.

They arrived at the playground a while later, parking in the school lot, and Brianna unbuckled her seatbelt and waited patiently as her sister walked around to the other side of the car, taking her hand and guiding her to the playground. The boys followed, taking a seat on a nearby bench, watching as Brianna climbed the playground with her toy horse's brown hair tangled in her fingers.

"Never saw the appeal of a plastic horse," Dean murmured.

"You're a guy."

"Really, Sam? Thanks, after twenty-eight years, that's nice to know."

Sam glanced to him. "Horses are a girl thing," he told him.

"Why though?" Dean asked. "I mean plenty of guys go horseback riding. Why is it a girl thing to play with plastic horses?"

"Cause horses, at least the kinds that come with a plastic hairbrush to brush its hair, aren't violent," Sam replied. "Guys like to play with plastic soldiers and toy guns. Girls like to play with Barbies. I mean if a toy horse came with a plastic Indian with a bow and arrow, that'd be a different story."

"Isn't that a little sexist?" Dean asked, looking to him.

"Well, experiments have been done," Sam replied. "Parents will expose their child to either option of toys. Even if a boy does prefer to play with Barbies, chances are that they'll choose to rip the heads off rather than play tea party."

"I can see that," Dean replied with a nod. He sighed. "Alright, so we've gotten two days down. When's Bobby supposed to be back?"

Sam looked to his brother, narrowing his eyes. "You're really hating this that much?"

"No, I'm not hating it. I just know that Kira's going to want to know her dad's alright, and she isn't going to believe that until she sees him with her own eyes."

"You relate to her really well," Sam said, looking back to Kira, who met her younger sister, giggling, at the bottom of a slide.

"Yea, well, I know where she's coming from," Dean replied.

"Especially when it comes to what you said the other night. You knew exactly what it was she needed to hear from you, and you didn't hesitate to give it to her. You went into our background, deeper than you would with any adult."

Dean glanced to his brother, then did a double take. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying that I think you're better with kids than you give yourself credit for."

Dean snorted. "Yea, if it has anything to vaguely do with hunting."

"Well I'll admit that helps, but I do think you're good with her."

"Ya. Says the guy who took her seriously when she said she wanted a beer."

Sam elbowed him in the side, looking back to the girls.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Kira shifted in her bed, asleep, eyes flickering under her eyelids. Dreams darted in and out of her mind as she slept peacefully. That is, until a hand clamped down on her mouth. Her eyes shot open and her hand darted under her pillow, closing on the knife she kept there as her gaze locked on an unfamiliar person.

"You make a sound, he'll slit your sister's throat," came the whisper.

Kira froze, anger shining in her eyes, as she stared at her attacker. Her gaze flickered fearfully over to her sister, who slept, unaware of the danger, on the other side of the room. A man stood beside her bed, brandishing a knife, as well as a set of fangs. Kira looked back to the man, asking him silently what he wanted. "You're going to tell your sister to cooperate. We're going to go out the window and down to the street, where our car is waiting. And we're going to drive away."

Kira stared at him for a couple of seconds before nodding. As soon as he took his hand off of her mouth, she yanked out the knife she had under her pillow, out of its sheath, which had dead man's blood in it, and plunged it into the man's heart, twisting it hard before yanking it out.

"Dean!" Kira screamed as loud as she could. "Sam! Help!"

The vampire fell to the ground, clutching his chest, and Kira leapt at the man next to her sister's bed, who seemed to be slightly in shock. His instincts kicked in and he swatted her away, throwing her into the wall, and Kira collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Brianna, who had finally realized that something was wrong, screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Kira!" she shrieked, eyes wide as she stared at the intruder.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and Dean ran inside just as the intruder ran for the window, jumping out, taking a shot to the leg from Dean's gun as he leapt. Dean flicked the light on as Sam ran into the room as well, running over to Brianna, who was huddled, teary-eyed, on her bed. Dean dropped to Kira's side, checking her over.

"Kira's fine, she's just knocked out," Dean reported, turning to Sam.

"Hey, it's okay," Sam reassured Brianna. "They're gone."

At that confirmation, Brianna leapt from her bed, running over to her sister. "Kira?" she sobbed. "Firefly, wake up!"

"She's okay, Bri," Dean assured her. "She's just sleeping. She hit her head." He turned to Sam. "We should get out of here. If they know where to find us, more could come."

Sam nodded in agreement before turning to Brianna. "Bri, can you be brave for me?"

Brianna took in a shuddering breath before nodding. "What can I do?" she asked quietly.

"I need you to pack some things for you and your sister. Just grab stuff from around the room, clothes mainly. I'll get your bathroom stuff. Okay?" Sam asked. Brianna nodded quickly before turning and going over to the bed, pulling two suitcases out from under her bed. Sam turned to Dean. "Stay with them. I'll get our stuff. We'll be out of here in three minutes. He looks down for the count, but keep an eye on him," he said, nodding toward the incapacitated vampire. At that, Sam turned and left the room.

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Dean drove the Impala out of the driveway, his gun on his lap, and sped down the road, keeping an eye out for any tails.

Sam sat in the back seat with Brianna and Kira, who he had lying on his lap, unconscious. Brianna's eyes were glued to her sister and her hand held onto Kira's tightly. Kira finally stirred a couple of seconds later. Her eyes fluttered open. "Bri?" she whispered.

"I'm here, Kira," Brianna said softly. Kira forced herself up into a sitting position, with Sam's help, and checked her sister over before taking her in a hug. "I'm okay," Brianna tried to convince her.

"Kira, how's your head?" Sam asked.

"It's fine," Kira told him. She turned to him. "Where are we headed?"

"Anywhere but here," Dean replied.

"I think a motel would be a good idea," Kira murmured. "Sleeping in the same room with one entrance sounds like a better idea."

Sam nodded. "I agree." He lightly touched the bump that was forming on the back of Kira's head and she flinched.

"I'm fine," she snapped.

"We'll take a look at it when we get to the motel," Sam told her.

Kira sighed and took her sister tighter in her arms. Brianna leaned against her as they drove down the road.

Half an hour later, the car slowed as they pulled into a parking lot. Dean turned around in his seat, looking to Kira, who appeared adamant to stay awake, while Brianna's head lay in her lap, sleeping deeply. "Okay. I'm gonna go get a room. I'll be right back," he said. Kira nodded as Dean left the car, shutting the door. Brianna shifted, but didn't wake up. Kira carefully tucked some hair behind her sister's ear.

The car was silent for a moment before Sam spoke up softly. "You were pretty great back there," he murmured. "That knife went straight for the heart."

"All in a day's work," Kira replied quietly. She paused. "Were you able to get some clothes and stuff packed before we bolted?" she asked.

"Yea. Brianna helped me out. She knew what to pack." Kira narrowed her eyes at him before looking back to her sister. "Yea, I know," Sam murmured.

"You know what?" Kira asked tightly.

"Brianna. She's stronger than you think, you know."

Kira looked to Sam angrily. "Don't tell me about my own sister."

"I'm telling you about me," he replied quietly. "How I was around Dean at her age. Dean always knew best, and I always relied on him more than anyone, but I took care of a lot of stuff that Dean never knew about."

Kira eyed him suspiciously. "Like what?"

Sam sighed. "Little things. Like pretending I needed a hug when I knew he needed one. Like being quiet when he needed to think, or saying something when he needed to hear it. Like keeping my questions to myself when I knew he didn't want to answer them. And like making sure that whatever happened, he knew that he taught me well. That if worst came to worst and anything ever happened to him, I could take care of myself. It's not only being a big sister that's a job. It's being a little sister too."

Kira stared at Sam for a few moments before looking back to her little sister and carefully stroking her hair.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Hey, Bobby, how's things going?"

"_Well we found Warren and the other hunters a few hours ago. They were being kept at the nest. One was already dead, but the rest were okay. We broke them out and they're recovering. We're going track down the nest and take them out. We've got more hunters now, so it should be fine._"

"Sounds good. Listen, we had some problems at the house so we're at a motel right now."

"_What kind of problems?_" Bobby asked worriedly.

"Break in. Vampires. Kira got a bit of a bump on the head, but everyone's fine."

"_You sure?_" Bobby confirmed.

"Yea, I'm sure. I got to go, just wanted to update you."

"_Alright. I'll talk to you again soon._"

"Later, Bobby." Dean hung up the phone and walked into the motel to get a room.

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Kira sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling, for a while before glancing over to Sam, who was sleeping on his bed. Dean had gone to get food about twenty minutes ago, so she was just waiting. She glanced over to her sister, who was still sleeping as well, clutching her stuffed elephant.

Kira smiled at her. She remembered the first elephant she'd gotten. Her father had given it to her, but after six years of being battered by a growing child, it was finally lost somewhere between Ohio and California. Their father had left for a hunt and, mere minutes after he'd left, Brianna became frantic, realizing that she couldn't find Ellie.

Calling her father to confirm that Ellie wasn't in the car, Brianna convinced Kira to go _right then _to the nearest toy store and buy a new elephant. And that was the elephant that Brianna clutched in her grip right then. Brianna said her name was Ellie II. Ellie for short.

Sighing, Kira considered what Sam had said. That Brianna was tougher than she looked. When she thought about it, Kira realized he was right. She was a smart kid, her June bug, and knew just how to act when the occasion called for a certain means of support. If Kira needed a hug, Brianna would pretend to need one. That was just the kind of kid she was.

Just then, Kira turned to the door as Dean quietly walked in. Kira looked at her sister for a moment before walking over to Dean and nodding outside before he could close the door. He raised his eyebrows and she nodded. He turned and went back outside, tucking the key card back in his pocket, and sat on the curb, putting the bag of food beside him.

Kira closed the door carefully behind herself and walked over to Dean, sitting down beside him.

"What's up, kiddo?" he asked, looking to her.

"Just wanted some air. Didn't think it'd be smart to go out by myself."

Dean nodded. "Gotcha." He reached into the bag and took out a bag of chips and soda and handed them to Kira, who took them with a small smile, as he took out a sandwich.

They sat in silence for about five minutes, eating, before Kira put down her chips and closed her soda. She appreciated that Dean understood wanting to just eat in silence, but she needed to ask him a few questions. "Dean?"

"Ya?" he murmured.

"Sam told me that…it isn't just being an older sibling that's a job. That being a younger sibling is a job too." Kira looked up to him. "Did you know that?"

Dean glanced to her. "How do you mean?"

"Like…when he knew you needed a hug…he'd pretend he needed one."

Dean looked back to the parking lot. "Yea. Yea I knew. See the thing is, as an older sibling, you see everything that's out there that's dangerous and you think of how it could hurt your younger brother or sister. But younger siblings see that too. At first, when they're really little, they only worry about themselves. But then the day comes that they realize that their older brother or sister isn't invincible. The day they ask a question and they get the answer, "I don't know." And it hits home that they have to be worried about us too. It's like the day you realized your dad doesn't have all the answers. That he isn't going to live forever."

"When they realize they have to be worried about us too, they also realize that primarily, it's our job to worry about them. So when they really want to help, when they really want to support us, they have to try to do it in a way that makes us still feel like we're being the older sibling. It's a give and take relationship. So even though Sammy and I don't really…hug anymore…cause we're kind of…."

"Tough guys," Kira said with a half-smile.

Dean gave a half-smile back. "Yea. Tough guys. Even though we don't much hug, there's still plenty he does. Growing up on the road together, spending so much time together, it means that with just a look, just meeting his eyes, we can have a whole conversation without saying a word. It means I can comfort him and he can comfort me without us…admitting that we need any comfort. But being a younger sibling…yea, that's a job too."

"Sam told me not long ago that when he was a kid…every time I put some money under his pillow when he lost a tooth…he never woke up, but he always knew it was me. And every morning when he woke up and found that money, he would make a big deal about how the tooth fairy came in and left 

the money and we'd go to the store and he'd get some candy bar and insist on sharing it with me…. Well when he finally told me a year or so ago that he'd known all along that there was no tooth fairy, that it was always just me, I asked him…why? Why didn't you just tell me you knew?"

"He said…he said he knew that the tooth fairy couldn't be real because that'd mean someone came into his room and got near him without me knowing. While we were both sleeping. And he knew I'd never let that happen, no matter whether it was something as innocent sounding as a tooth fairy or something really bad. But he kept up the charade anyway. Because he knew how much it meant to me to have him believe in something like that. To believe in something magical that made him happy. He knew that for me to be able to get that grin on his face made me feel so great…that he let me keep that."

Kira stared at her feet. "You think Bri does that?"

"I don't know," Dean replied. "But if she does…for both your sakes, I'd keep it up anyway." He looked over to her and smiled.

Kira looked up to him and smiled back. "I think I will," she murmured.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"When's my dad coming back?" Brianna asked, looking across the table at Sam and Dean as she put down her crayon.

The two boys glanced to each other. "We're not really sure," Sam replied. "Soon though."

The three of them sat at Friday's, waiting for their food to arrive. Kira had gone to the bathroom, and Brianna had chosen that moment to ask her question.

"But he's okay, right?" Brianna confirmed.

"Yes, definitely," Sam told her. "We got a call from Bobby. Your dad's fine."

Brianna nodded slowly. "Good." She looked down to her paper placemat and continued to color in the pictures.

Dean turned around in his seat, glancing around, and then glanced at his watch. "Kira left for the bathroom like ten minutes ago. You want to go check on her?"

Sam met Dean's eyes. There was some concern in his expression and Sam nodded in agreement. "Yea. I'll be right back."

Sam stood up, walking through the restaurant, to the Restrooms sign, dodging two waiters on the way. He arrived at the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Kira? Kira, you okay?" he asked. He opened the door just a bit and peeked in. There were two stalls, one for the handicapped, which was open, and another regular one, which was closed and locked. "Kira? You in there?"

"Sam?" she asked.

Sam blinked, surprised at the tone of her voice, and walked inside. "What's wrong?" he asked instantly. "Are you crying?"

"I think something's wrong," she whispered.

"Does your stomach hurt?" he asked.

"A little. But…I'm bleeding."

Sam's eyes widened. "You're what?"

"I'm bleeding. There's blood in my underwear."

Sam froze. _She's eleven years old. Oh my God. Oh. My. God._ "Okay, Kira?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice calm. "There's nothing to worry about, okay? I'll just be right back."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yea. I'll be right back." At that, he bolted out of the bathroom and back to their table. "Dean I need to talk to you," he said hurriedly.

Dean looked up at him, then back to Brianna, who was still concentrating on her picture. "Okay," he said slowly, standing up and walking a few feet away, keeping one eye on Brianna. "What's up, dude?"

"Kira's in the bathroom, and…uh…." Sam shifted nervously on his feet, glancing back toward the restrooms.

Dean stared at him, motioning with his hands for him to continue. "And? What?"

"She, ah…. Well, there's a bit of a situation."

"Okay, Sam, the last time you looked this nervous you told me you were about to ask Dana Patrelli out to prom," Dean told him. "You run into some girl that—."

"No, Dean, I think…" Sam lowered his voice. "I think Kira just got out of our league."

Dean stared at him blankly, then blinked. "She what?"

"She told me there's blood in her underwear," Sam hissed.

Dean's eyes widened at the word blood, panic flickering through his expression, before his face went slack as he realized what Sam was saying. "No…. No, man, come on," Dean whispered. "She can't…. _Now_? This has to happen for the first time _now_? Man, I am not equipped to handle something like this. _We_…are not equipped to…." Dean took in a deep breath and let it out. "Alright. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to…call Cassie. And ask her to talk to Kira."

Sam narrowed his eyes at Dean in disbelief. "What?"

"Dude, she needs to talk to another girl," Dean told him.

"Yea, but she also needs…." Sam motioned vaguely.

Dean ran his hands through his hair anxiously. "Okay, ah…."

Just then, their waitress arrived with their food, putting the tray down on the stand she set up and distributing the meals. She walked up to the boys with a smile. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

"We're good, th—."

"You're a girl," Dean interrupted Sam, pointing at the waitress, as if he'd suddenly made a great discovery.

The waitress blinked at him. "Last time I checked, yea," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"You're like, what, twenty-five?"

"Twenty-three," she said. "Why?"

"Dean," Sam hissed, glaring at him.

"Sam, we need help on this one," Dean hissed back.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

The two boys did some more glaring before Dean finally turned back to the waitress. "Okay. Lizzie. Can I call you Lizzie?" he asked.

"I respond to 'hey you,' but I do prefer Lizzie, yes," she replied.

"Okay. We have a problem."

"A situation," Sam clarified.

"Yea. A situation," Dean repeated. "Our niece, Kira, is in the bathroom right now. We took her and her sister out to dinner, we're babysitting while her father's out of town. Sam just went check on her because she's been gone for ten minutes, and…."

"Is she all right?" Lizzie asked, narrowing her eyes. "Did she throw up or something?"

"She's eleven years old and her mother died when she was young," Sam explained. "I guess nobody's ever explained the birds and the bees to her, so she doesn't really know what's going on…."

Lizzie's face went slack. "Oh the poor girl," she murmured. "She got her period?"

"Yes," Dean sighed. "Now my brother and I—."

"Are men," she interrupted, giving him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, I got it." At that, she walked past them and toward the bathroom, saying something to a waitress she passed by as she went.

"Thank God," Dean said, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Good idea…I guess," Sam replied, staring after the waitress.

"Yea. I'm a genius. Let's just eat," Dean told him, walking back to the table.

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Kira arrived back at the table about fifteen minutes later and sat down, across from Sam and Dean. "Kira's fine," Lizzie said with a smile, meeting the eyes of both boys. "We got everything settled. You need to stop at a pharmacy or something on the way home. And I explained a few things to her that she's going to discuss with you later. Okay?"

Sam nodded. "Thank you. Very much."

Lizzie smile grew slightly, as if she was amused. "No problem." She turned to Kira. "I'm going to get your food from the kitchen. I asked one of the other waitresses to keep it warm for you."

"Thanks," Kira replied with a smile.

"What's going on?" Brianna asked through a mouthful of chicken strips.

"Chew, swallow, then talk," Kira instructed, glaring at her sister.

Brianna nodded and did as she was told before repeating the question.

"Remember when I told you there are some things we don't discuss in public?" Kira asked her sister. Brianna nodded. "This is one of those things. I'll tell you later, okay?" Brianna nodded again and went back to her dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

**I know, it's been a while, but honestly I kind of forgot about this story. Here's a wrap-up chapter!**

Chapter 9:

Kira came walking down the stairs of Bobby's house and went into the living room, where Sam and Dean were sitting. They looked up at her arrival.

"So how'd it go?" Sam asked.

"Fine," Kira replied, sitting down in the loveseat with her book. "She asked questions, I answered them."

"She ask any questions you didn't know the answer to?" Dean asked.

"No. She's seven. She's not that creative," Kira told him. "Plus I did plenty of research online before I talked to her."

"So you're…all set?" Dean asked.

Kira rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dean. I got what I needed at the pharmacy, I know what I need to know, Brianna's all set with what she needs to know. Everything's good."

"Good," Dean replied, apparently very much relieved. "I'm going to go take a shower. It's been a long day." At that, he got up and left the room.

"He's funny when he's uncomfortable," Kira murmured, settling into her chair.

Sam smiled. "Yeah. Give him a poltergeist or demon any day over an eleven year old girl getting her period."

Kira snorted. She looked up to Sam, hesitating before she spoke. "Sam…can I ask you something?"

Sam blinked. "Sure. Go ahead."

"How old were you when you first realized…your family wasn't normal?" Kira asked softly.

Sam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, normal's a relative word, you know."

"Yeah, but being a hunter's kid is a whole different kind of abnormal. An eleven year old that sleeps with a knife under her pillow is not normal."

"Depends on who you ask," Sam responded. As she started to say something again, Sam held up his hand, stopping her. "I know what you mean though." He clasped his hands together, leaning forward, resting his forearms on his legs. "I was five. One of my friends told me about his family. He had a brother, a sister, a mom, a dad, the whole white picket fence deal. And he told me about how his family went out to dinner the night before for his birthday."

"To me…it was foreign, the concept of just living in one place, not moving around. I'd seen it on TV but I thought of shows like that like I thought of the rest of television; not all of it was real or made sense. But when I told him about my life, he got confused. He didn't understand why I moved around. I mean honestly, I didn't either. I was told my dad was a travelling salesman by Dean, and also that I shouldn't talk about stuff that goes on at home. And like Dean said, when I was nine I found my dad's journal, where he wrote down everything he'd learned as a hunter, and I confronted Dean about it. That's when I really knew how different we were."

"Nine," Kira echoed quietly.

Sam nodded. "You asking cause you're curious or because of Brianna?"

"I guess both," Kira murmured.

Sam pursed his lips, letting the silence sit for a few long seconds before speaking again. "You wish she still didn't know?"

Kira swallowed and kept her gaze firmly on a spot on the floor. "Yeah," she whispered. She paused. "How did Dean keep you from knowing for so long?"

"I don't know, exactly. A combination of a lot of differences between your life and ours, I'm sure," Sam told her. "When did Brianna find out?"

"She didn't, really," Kira said with a confused shrug. "We both just…always knew."

"How did your dad get into hunting? If you don't mind me asking?" he asked, knowing the answer for him, for most, was a sensitive subject.

"My uncle was a hunter a long time ago," she replied quietly. "He and his wife. And my dad knew a little bit about it, but not that much. When the two of them were killed on a hunt, my dad was kind of…."

"Sucked into it?" Sam asked understandingly.

Kira nodded. "Yeah. At least that's the way he tells it. He met my mom hunting. They fell in love," she whispered. "They had us, after a lot of debate whether or not they wanted to. When they did, my mom went on less hunts. Stayed with us more. But when I was seven and Brianna was three…they left us with a sitter…and both went…and…." Kira's nearly inaudible voice faded off.

Sam worked his jaw, knowing that there wasn't any reply to that, and fell quiet. Splintering the silence, his cell phone rang from his pocket. He glanced down to it absently before taking it out, raising it to his ear. "Yeah…?" His eyebrows went up. "Hey, how'd it go…? Sure," he replied with a smile. He held the phone out to Kira, who narrowed her eyes at it for a second before taking it.

"Yeah?" she asked. A moment later, her face lit up. "Dad! What happened? Are you okay?" Kira was silent for a long moment before pursing her lips and swallowing. "Okay…. Yeah, we're fine," she told him indifferently. She sighed. "Yeah, but Sam and Dean beat them off, killed one of them, and we hauled ass. No trouble since." She paused. "Okay…. Well when will you be back?" A small smile slid across her face. "Cool…. Okay…. Love you too." At that, Kira shut the cell phone, handing it back to Sam, a tentative smile on her face.

"He's good?" Sam asked quietly.

Kira nodded. "Yeah." A bit of fear flickered across her face. "He was…. The vampires had him for a while, but…he's okay."

"I'm glad," Sam murmured.

"Me too." Kira stared at the ground for a second before she looked back to Sam. "Hey, could I get your cell number? In case…anything ever happens?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "First thing tomorrow. Remind me. I'll give you Dean's too. We do change them occasionally though, so if all else fails Bobby's here."

"I know." Kira chewed on her lower lip before slowly getting to her feet. "I'm gonna head to bed early."

"Sweet dreams," Sam said with a crooked smile.

Kira hesitated before taking a few steps forward and taking Sam in a hug. Sam froze for a brief moment in surprise before he returned the gesture.

"Thanks, Sam," Kira whispered. At that, she abruptly pulled away and went up the stairs to her room, leaving Sam smiling after her.

**THE END**


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